The Ilocos Times

If there’s one blogger-journalist who has hit hardest on Michael V. Fariñas, both when he was mayor of Laoag and in his tenure as vice mayor cut short by a tragic accident last night, it could be me. Over the years, I have written about him on a range of issues, nothing personal and all of public interest. Each time I’d do so, people would ask if I was not afraid. He was, after all, the leader of the city, a member of Ilocos Norte’s powerful family, and a man preceded by a certain reputation. Even my editor at The Ilocos Times —deeply concerned with the political repercussions it will have on our publisher who is now back in politics as a barangay captain—once edited out some lines about a throwback issue people today not dare talk about. Was I afraid? I wasn’t. At all. I think Sir Michael fully embraced critics like me—and here I remember my late friend Steve Barreiro who also wrote explosive columns on MVF—as an important part of a democratic city. To his credit, MVF never

By Dr. Reynante L. Ordonio PhilRice As we aim for food security, producing enough, affordable, and accessible foods for consumers is our battlecry. More to this is to ensure that these foods are of high quality, safe, and nutritious. Not only quantity but also quality We must explore and utilize a combination of different agricultural technologies and strategies to achieve food security. Among these technologies, perhaps the most powerful yet the most controversial is the use of modern biotechnology or genetic engineering. With this, we can transfer genes from one species to another to create organisms with a novel combination of genes, referred to as genetically modified organism (GMO). Because of the unlimited combinations of genes that we can integrate into an organism, genetic engineering has a great potential for use in rice research for designing plants with higher yield, better quality in terms of increased resistance to insect pests and diseases, improved t

Laoag City —Vanessa Mae C. Palalay, a beneficiary of the Sirib Young Leader (SYL) Scholarship proudly offers her achievements to her family and the youth as she is one of the 175 Latin honors recipients for the Mariano Marcos State University 40th Commencement Exercises. The SYL Scholarship is one of the three scholarship programs offered by the Provincial Government thru the Ilocos Norte Youth Development Office (INYDO). She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Technology as a cum laude. According to her, the scholarship paved way for her to gain not only quality education, but also holistic growth.   As a scholar, Vanessa is a youth volunteer at the INYDO and is the incumbent deputy chairperson of non-government organization Sirib Ilokano Kabataan Association, Inc.-Burgos. “ Napakaganda ng scholarship at programang ito ni Governor Imee Marcos. Marami itong natutulungan—hindi lang ang mga kabataan kundi maging ang kanilang mga pamilya at sa kani-kanilang kom

DFA assistant secretary Frank Cimafranca pays a courtesy call to Laoag mayor Chevylle V. Fariñas during his visit to Laoag on May 7, 2018. (Photo by Alwin Formantes)

A security officer stands guard on the late vice mayor’s casket. By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff reporter Laoag City —The city’s vice mayor Michael V. Fariñas dies in a car crash along the bypass road a Brgy. 55-C Vira, this city, on the afternoon of June 6, 2018. First responders attend to the fallen vic e mayor The Laoag police said they responded to the incident along with the Dept. of Public Safety paramedics at 5:45 pm of the said date. The police said the vice mayor was driving a Mercedes Benz V8 Biturbo SUV along with his security aide SPO2 Melchor Geronimo of the Laoag police. Initial police investigation showed that the SUV was heading northwards when the vice mayor apparently lost control of the vehicle. The SUV, the report continued, swerved to the right shoulder of the road, hit a concrete barrier, and the impact threw the car into a rice field. Responders immediately transported the vice mayor to the Gov. Roque B. Ablan Sr. Memorial Hospital; a

No suratek ti biagko: kastoy Napno iti pannakigasanggasat Napno iti utang iti kinaimbag Napno iti pannakadillaw Tiltilennak ti pannakaitublak Dagiti pannakapaay, no dadduma Pannakaumsi itoy a kinasiasinok Dagiti panagkatangkatang Da west, da nort, da est, da saut Dagiti adu a kasaor ken dugudog Ti panawen, dagiti panawen Itoy agrikrikus a planeta. No iladawak ti biagko: kastoy Addaan isem: napait-naalsem Ngem iti likudanna: nasam-it Dagiti katawa ken garakgak Iti aklili ti pasugnod ken Pasidumri, uray dagiti aglemlemmeng A panagsangit Adda iliw, adda segga Kadagiti saan nga agpabatubat Nga awis umel a komunikasion. No timbangek ti biagko: kastoy Kalawakaw, mabalin pay a bukaw Dagiti eppes a namnama a napaay Adda waw, saan a kaasi, saan a danum Isuda ti ayat, isuda ti kinnaawatan Saan ketdi a panagpuor Wenno panagrebba ti rangtay Ti ayat dagiti dumaldalinesnes A gagar: itan, naglikudandan Ti ruangan a sinangpetan iti yuul